The Novice

When blacksmith apprentice Fletcher discovers that he has the ability to summon demons from another world, he travels to Adept Military Academy where must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands.

This tale is simply too derivative. It bleeds fantasy tropes (hunter orphaned protag, bully guards, finds mysterious pet in the woods gifted to him by an equally-mysterious old man in a tavern). But I can appreciate a good fantasy trope. It was when we got to the school and we were properly hit by the cluster of references that it got to be too much. Not every idea is going to be original, but the way you spin it makes the difference, and this played every reference straight as Colorado's borderlines. Eragon, Harry Potter, Pokemon (POKEMON, seriously!), Lord of the Rings, His Dark Materials...but all played perfectly, perfectly, perfectly straight. Diamond-tipped rulers couldn't have gotten that any stiffer. The characters are nothing more than parodies. The world building, which had seemed so promising early on, is tossed away or muscled into the plot in bad exposition. All in all, it's bland and bleary.

Pretty good book. Makes me want to read the second one, but overall, for me, it could have even MORE and it would have been even better. Putting that aside, it's a great book! An imaginitive plot line and likeable characters! Definitely worth reading

A real pageturner YA fantasy adventure. The first in the trilogy, I would highly recommend to teens who enjoy Harry Potter, Fellowship of the Rings, Terry Brook's Shanarra series, Ranger's Apprentice series, etc.

The first book in a trilogy, "The Novice" is an awesome example of high fantasy. Elves, dwarves, humans, and orcs all play a role in a world where humans rule supreme, but are caught in a war with the orcs. Those who receive Summoning Scrolls have the power to summon a demon to fight at their side. These demons differ in appearance and power, ranging mostly from all kinds of interesting mythical beings. War, battles, romance, and loss... this trilogy made me cry, it shocked me, it made me cheer, and it made me angry. Its hard to not recommend a book that makes you feel so many things.